heyjami

You can spend as much as you have on sewing machines!!! Save your cash for the stash!

I had a year of collecting machines. My favorite Go-To is my 1938 Singer Featherweight. Straight Stitch, fits on the dining table, makes a noise that is pleasant and part of my happy place. I free motion on her and she works like a charm. Love love love this machine.

For applique I use my Costco Brother machine. It has some cute fancy stitches. I also have a vintage Singer with lots of stitches but the Brother is lighter to grab and set up so that's the one that I pull. This is also the machine I usually let the kids sew on.

I also own a DDL-8700 Commercial Juki. It's so powerful I sometimes hear masculine noises coming from it (like a jet engine!). I'm teaching myself how to free-motion on it because the throat is so big. Sometimes I put away the FW and spend some quality time with my Juki. I bought it at a garage sale and it's an amazing machine.

I was shopping at the quilt stores and saw that you can spend as much as a car on a nice long arm. Maybe some day. But I don't have much space for a 12' table so for now I will wrestle with my other machines. I took a Long Arm class and I can rent time on a machine about 45 minutes away. That will probably never happen since my quilt time is 8pm-10pm (kids are in bed) or weekends while hanging out with the kids. Maybe someday! Long arms are so fun!

Sometimes I am jealous of the ladies with the nice, fancy Janomes or Vikings. Just a little.

Morag

I agree...do your homework. I looked and researched for about a year. I bought a used Janome MC6500 for a fair price and got the table and extension table along with it. I have a Brother Jeans machine, a vintage Singer 99K and two featherweights...I love them all and use them all ...my vintage machines can do thick seams better than my Janome...

katesnanna

Have a look at this site:- www.evidently.org/2007/02too-much-information/
There is information on most machines. Hopefully not enough to confuse you but enough about each to let you decide "what you want".

T-Anne

It is so difficult looking for a new sewing machine. I bought one finally last November at a Veterans Day Sale. I wanted a quilting machine, basic stitches with some decorative ones for binding and a large throat. I saved about 600 dollars so that's what moved me to make the purchase. I love it.

Digitizingqueen

Shopping with a friend who has been quilting a while, get recommendations from other quilters and buy what you love, I love my Viking, I know people who swear by their berninas and others their Jerome's.... What you will use or will use in your future vision is what you should buy...

justflyingin

Excellent, excellent advice. When it was time for me to upgrade, there were several things I wanted, and they were more throat space, feed dogs down, and just more bells and whistles. I've found out since that the thread cutter, needle down, and all the other options I have are wonderful. I'm learning things about my machine all the time. Horizon 7700 Janome.

So much depends on you--your sewing skills, your tendency to stick with things, do you want to continue to learn new things, or are you content with the style of sewing you have, etc? People have made beautiful quilts for years and years without very expensive machines. Many will continue to do so. If you are a very casual seamstress, then don't spend too much money. If your DH opposes it, be careful what you spend, etc. Your situation is uniquely yours. We will try to be supportive as a group.

(I bought a new Horizon 2 years ago. Before that I have had 2 Pfaffs in the last 18 years and loved them both--just wanted a more bells and whistles--plus I loaned out one of my Pfaffs and it was returned with the door that closes over the bobbin case.free arm part broken --the door doesn't latch closed anymore making the machine a pain to use--but it sews just fine!)